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Inside Track Interview: Big Red Sales
“
The relationship between the manufacturers
and independents has become more distanced
because many of them no longer have the
resources to service independent dealers.
This created a niche for Big Red Sales”
John Reddigton, Director, Big Red Sales.
Big Red Sales, a ‘sales repping’ agency has been cr
”
eated in the middle of the deep economic
recession and yet the company has grown from strength to strength since January 2009. Anna
Ryland asked BRS founder, John Reddington, how the company’s business formula works.
John Reddigton began his companies’ which are responsible for distribution of our sales force – covering the
professional life as training accountant. It sales of the company’s brands in different whole of the UK, and the frequency of visits
wasn’t long, however, before he realised areas of the country. “Therefore we ran a to its clients’ customers – every five weeks.
that his personality wasn’t well suited to number of articles in the magazines BRS’s strength is the combined experience
the accountancy profession. A straight outlining what we wish to do and of the whole team (BRS employs eight
talking northerner, with a passion for enquiries started coming in. We decided senior sales professionals), the relationships
business and of 1970s rock music, John which brands we wish to be involved and with the customers, and our integrity –
describes himself, as a people’s person. started negotiating with them, while people know us and trust us.”
Perhaps it isn’t surprising that he forged making sure that these brands do not John has no doubts that if his company
his career in sales and has built around compete with each other.” does a good job for these brands he will
himself strong sales teams which were lose his customers one day… like a
instrumental to the success of his Building the BRS portfolio doctor who cured his patents. “This is to
companies, firstly Alphason and now Big Between February and September 2009 be expected in this business. When the
Red Sales. the company took on six brands. The first volume of the business reaches the level
one was Archos, a French specialist in the MD wants, he will want to tackle it
The road towards BRS portable entertainment, such as Internet with his own sales reps.”
John honed his sales skills at Mars. Then media tablets, who has a turnover in
he worked for several years in sales, excess of £20 million but had no …and independent
becoming a sales director at Harman distribution in the independent sector. John believes that his company fills the
International and then managing director Next they took on the US wall mounts gap created by the market situation. “The
of Ortofon. He become involved with brand, Level Mount. Then they were constant pressure on overheads means
Alphason through his management approached by Sennheiser, who are a that the manufacturing companies are
consultancy, JR Associates, and spent 17 brand leader in headphones in the UK unable to give the customers the service
years with the company. Following with a 22% share (by value) of the UK they want. As a result of this the
Alphason’s merger with Armour, John has market. Next came Tangent, the relationship between the manufacturers
worked for Armour for 18 months before specialist in table top radios with retro and independents suffers.
deciding to “go my own way”. styling, and Linsar, a UK company, “In these circumstances the companies
manufacturing middle-range televisions. are forced to do short-term deals – selling
BRS concept The last company to be enlisted as a BRS products at a discount to move the
While at Alphason John had been using client was Off The Wall – a manufacturer volume. It means that some retail partners
self-employed sales agents who also of modern AV furniture. are at disadvantage and become less
worked for other companies. “When I was competitive since as they are not able to
thinking about my next step, it occurred The USP’s of BRS buy large quantities – and sell at lower
to me that there are many companies in Big Red Sales aims to increase the prices. At Alphason we had a level playing
the UK that don’t have enough sales penetration of its clients’ brands field: we had approximately 2,000 multiple
people. A sales rep costs between £100- throughout the independent sector in the dealers and 2,000 independent dealers
150,000 a year, and smaller companies UK; to deliver support, information and and we gave them all the same trading
cannot afford to have them.” promote the brands to the sector. terms. I intend to treat independents with
In Germany, France and the States The USPs of its company are “the the same fairness in my current
many companies use so-called ‘repping delivery of personal service, a wide business.” a73
14 The Independent Electrical Retailer December 2009
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